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Context

Aeschylus’ Persians (Persai), produced in 472 BCE
at the City Dionisia of Athens, is not only the earliest surviving
Greek tragedy, but also the first known play in the history of
European theatre. It is thus rightly considered an invaluable
source for the history of the early tragic genre, but it should not
be forgotten that more than sixty years separate it from the
beginning of the tragic contest in Athens (around 535 BCE) and that
Aeschylus had been active as a dramatist since 499 BCE. Thus,
Persians is neither a piece of “primitive” dramaturgy, nor
the work of an apprentice playwright. In the dramatic contest of
472 Aeschylus presented, besides Persians, the tragedies
Phineus and Glaucus o…

Citation:
Medda , Enrico. "The Persians". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 October 2014
[https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7372, accessed 15 August 2018.]

7372The Persians3Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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